PD -Chapter 82 The Disguised Skin

Like a headless fly, I ran randomly through the alley for several minutes before finally spotting a familiar figure rushing toward me.

“How is it, Brother Han?” Liu Xiaopeng panted as he reached me. “Did you see which direction it ran?”

I shook my head. “I’ve been circling here for a while. I didn’t see it. I can’t even find a way out anymore.”

“What now?” Liu Xiaopeng sighed and looked at me.

Something suddenly felt off. Based on how concerned Liu Xiaopeng had been about this case earlier, he shouldn’t have given up so easily. And yet now, I couldn’t see even a trace of that earlier tension in him.

“Xiaopeng, let me ask you something,” I said, staring at him.

He nodded as he walked.

“Did you finish the detailed construction drawings for Li Zi’s villa last time?”

He let out an “oh” and replied, “Yeah. As long as I export the CAD file into a printable image format, it can be printed out.”

His answer was flawless—showing the exact professional knowledge expected of an interior designer.

But the moment I heard it, my heart sank.

The entity we were hunting could freely change its appearance and disguise itself. I had to stay on guard.

That question had clearly been a test—but I hadn’t expected him to answer so seamlessly.

And that was exactly what felt wrong.

In a situation this tense, I had asked something completely unrelated to our current crisis, yet he hadn’t found it strange at all. Worse, he answered instantly without hesitation.

If it were a normal person, they would at least question why I was asking something so irrelevant at such a critical moment.

So I concluded—this person beside me was not the real Liu Xiaopeng.

Without making a sound, I slowed my steps and fell slightly behind him. Then, in a flash, I pulled out a talisman and hurled it at his back.

The talisman glowed with golden light and slammed into him like a cannon blast, sending the entity wearing Liu Xiaopeng’s skin flying.

Caught completely off guard, it was sent flying several meters before crashing into the wall of the alley and falling to the ground.

I rushed forward immediately. My Golden Light Mantra was already activated, and I stepped down hard onto its chest with a foot radiating golden light.

“Where is the real Liu Xiaopeng?!” I growled.

“Brother Han, are you crazy?!” The man under my foot frowned up at me. “I am Liu Xiaopeng!”

“Stop pretending!” I pressed down harder, and he let out a pained scream.

“Let me up first, or you’ll be collecting his corpse!” he snapped stubbornly.

Fury surged through me. I raised my foot and kicked him hard in the face, then crouched down, preparing to interrogate him with another talisman.

But at that moment, I suddenly smelled a foul stench. A burst of green smoke rose before my eyes.

My expression changed—but before I could react, my vision went black, and I lost consciousness.

I don’t know how long passed before my awareness slowly returned.

The stench of sewage filled my nose. I realized I was in a sewer.

I forced my eyes open. Everything around me was pitch black. I tried to stand, but I couldn’t move.

My hands and feet were tightly bound.

“Snap…”

A crisp sound rang out, and a flame appeared in front of me.

Liu Xiaopeng stood before me, holding a lighter.

But I knew in my heart—this person, though identical in appearance, was not Liu Xiaopeng.

“Where is Liu Xiaopeng? What did you do to him?” I asked through gritted teeth.

The entity smiled indifferently. “If I were you, I’d be more worried about yourself first.”

“Oh right, I forgot—you probably don’t care about Liu Xiaopeng at all. The only one you care about… is Tang Shanshan!”

My eyes widened. “How do you know about Tang Shanshan…?”

From somewhere, the entity pulled out a candle, lit it, and placed it aside.

“I know everything about you,” it said calmly as it sat down. “I am Liu Xiaopeng.”

Then it leaned against its head with both hands, murmuring to itself:

“Tang Shanshan… Zhu Zhu… Sword of Immortals… Nine Sons of the Dragon…”

My heart tightened.

Those names—those things—it shouldn’t have known them.

Could it be that this entity didn’t just copy appearances… but could also replicate memories?

“So it was you who awakened the Ghost Emperor,” it said, suddenly showing interest in me.

“You know about the Ghost Emperor?” I asked sharply.

“Sorry. That’s not something I can tell you.”

“Then where is the real Liu Xiaopeng?!” I demanded.

“I am Liu Xiaopeng,” it repeated.

It gently stroked its own face. “Is this how you treat your subordinates? Honestly… I’m jealous of you. You have your own career, inherited secret arts… while I…”

Its voice darkened.

“My bloodline power has never awakened. Everything I’ve done… is just so my ancestors won’t be shamed—even if it means betraying everyone.”

“You’re talking nonsense. You’re not Liu Xiaopeng. You’re not even a person. You’re just a monster!” I shouted.

Its expression slowly darkened, anger flashing in its eyes. But after a moment, it suddenly laughed again.

“You’re right. I am a monster. But I enjoy what I am now. I can become anyone I want. I can get close to any woman I want… like Xiao Xiao… or Zhu Zhu. You know? They both had some interest in Liu Xiaopeng.”

“I’m done playing with you. I should go find those two little beauties now.”

As it spoke, it let out a sinister laugh and once again released green toxic gas from its palm.

I cursed inwardly and forced myself to hold my breath.

But it didn’t stop there—it grabbed my jaw and forced the poisonous mist directly into my mouth.

“Cough… cough…”

I coughed violently as dizziness overwhelmed me. Through blurred vision, I could only see it walking away smugly.

“Supreme Heavenly Star responds without pause… dispel evil, bind demons, protect life… wisdom clears the mind, peace stabilizes the spirit… three souls remain eternal, seven spirits without loss or collapse!”

With my last shred of consciousness, I forced myself to stay awake and formed the seal in my mind, silently chanting the Heart-Purifying Mantra.

A burning sensation surged from my dantian. My spiritual energy activated with the mantra, rapidly circulating through my body and purging the toxic gas.

Just before I lost consciousness again, I successfully expelled all the poison—and forced myself back into clarity.